This week in state history

Historic Minnesota events with anniversaries this week.

Feb. 29

1844 Albert Sieber is born in Germany. Sieber would move to Minneapolis in 1856, join the First Minnesota Regiment in 1862, and after the Civil War become a U.S. Army scout in the American west. Sieber was severely wounded on July 2, 1863 in the Battle of Gettysburg, at Cemetery Ridge. He fought in several key engagements, including Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg, Apache Wars, Battle of Cibecue Creek, and Battle of Big Dry Wash. After the war, he became a prospector in California, Nevada, and in Arizona Territory, where he managed a ranch from 1868 to 1871. He would be killed by a rolling boulder during road construction near the Roosevelt Dam in 1907. There is a plaque there honoring him.

March 1

1881 As Minnesota state legislators met on the evening of March 1, 1881, two days before the end of their 22nd session, two pages alerted them to a fire in the building. Quick action by lawmakers and nearby residents saved important documents, furnishings, and historical collections. More than 300 people escape safely, but the building, including the law library, is a total loss. Luckily, most of the Minnesota Historical Society's artifacts are rescued from the basement. The first capitol building was completed in 1853.

1899 "The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions," authored by Thorstein Veblen, is published. A graduate of Carleton College, Veblen earns recognition as a dynamic economist and social theorist, and his book remains influential today. Veblen grew up in rural Nerstrand, near Northfield, home to Carleton College.

1921 Patrick Des Jarlait is born on the Red Lake Reservation. He would paint colorful, stylized watercolors of traditional Ojibwe life. He was also a commercial artist, and created the advertising mascots that became known as the Hamm's bear and Land O' Lakes butter maiden.

March 2

1949 Melrose native Capt. James Gallagher of the U.S. Air Force completes the first nonstop flight around the world. With a crew of 13 he flew Lucky Lady II, a B-50 bomber assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group, refueling four times while in the air and completing the 23,452-mile trip in 94 hours and one minute. The mission required a double crew with three pilots, under the command of Gallagher. The crews rotated in shifts of four to six hours.

March 3

1849 Minnesota Territory is signed into existence by President James K. Polk. The territory had a population of about 10,000 Indians and 5,000 white settlers and included Dakota land east of the Missouri River. The U.S. Postal Service would release a three-cent centennial stamp on this date in 1949.

1855 St. Louis County, the state's largest (6,611 square miles), is established, named for the St. Louis River. The river is thought to have been named after the French explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, who received an honor for his travels, the Cross of St. Louis, shortly before he died in 1749. The honor comes from the only French king to be sainted by the Catholic Church, Louis IX, 1214-1270. The earliest map denoting a St. Louis River is from 1763.

1855 The state legislature decides to send an immigration commissioner to New York. Beginning in June, Eugene Burnand of St. Paul represents the territory in Manhattan, where he encourages immigrants to make Minnesota their new home.

March 4

1942 Tammy Faye LeValley (Bakker) is born in International Falls. With her husband, Jim Bakker, she would help found three of the largest Christian television networks in the world, including the Praise the Lord ministry. After Jim was jailed for fraud and conspiracy (a charge for which she escaped conviction), she divorced him and married Roe Messner. She died of lung cancer in July of 2007 at age 65.

March 5

1852 Farmers in Benton County form the state's first county agricultural society. Oliver H. Kelley, who would later found the National Grange, is one of ten charter members. County agricultural society members share information about stock, seeds, fruit, and farming practices. The Oliver Kelley Farm is a National Historic Landmark and is run by the Minnesota Historical Society.

This column is derived from MNopedia, an online project at mnopedia.org. and developed by the Minnesota Historical Society and its partners.